Arlington Career Center. Photo contributed
Proposed Options
For Greater High School Capacities
• Option A: Kenmore Site
Kenmore Middle School remains with building added for a 1,300 seat High School
• Option B: Career Center Site
Arlington Tech remains and Career Center’s capacity increases for 1,300 seat high school
• Option C: Education Center Site
New building expanding Washington-Lee with 1,300 new seats
• Option D: Hybrid of Education Center Site and Career Center Site
Renovation of Education Center Building to include approximately 500-600 seats
Renovation/Addition at Career Center site to include approximately 700-800 seats
Arlington Public Schools needs 1,300 more high school seats to meet the projected enrollment of over 30,000 students. As the School Board plans for the new high school seats, the main decision is whether to expand the existing facilities or build an entirely new school.
At a School Board meeting on June 15, the School Board considered four options for expanding high school seats by 2022. The first option was to add a 1,300-seat high school to Kenmore Middle School. Two other options involved adding a high school to Arlington Tech with the career center as a program within that school, or adding a new high school to the Education Center site. The preferred proposal put forward by staff was a hybrid option, to split the capacity needs between Arlington Tech and the Education Center.
Renovation of the Education Center building would include 500 to 600 new seats, while renovation and additions at the career center could add 700 to 800 new seats. According to Arlington Public Schools staff, the hybrid option allows APS to use land already owned by the school system. With the aim of opening by 2022 with under $103.5 million spent, the hybrid option is the one most calculated to come in on time and under budget.
But parents at the School Board meetings expressed concerns about the narrow scope of the hybrid option.
“Anything less than a comprehensive neighborhood school won’t address the full issues with our population expansion,” said Andrew Greenwood. “The hybrid option [is a] Band-Aid.”
Many of the parents at the School Board meeting urged the board to consider a new high school.
“I’m here to support a fourth comprehensive high school in Arlington Heights,” said Dr. Christine Stalwart. “We’re wasting time and money with cramming option seats into career center sites when you don’t know if students will want to attend that.”
Stalwart also expressed concerns that APS still hadn’t released information concerning what types of programs would be utilized at the site. During the staff presentation, a few potential program possibilities were put forward for the new school. Both of the new facilities could be focused on “Early College” programs. The Education Center facility could also be part of an expanded International Baccalaureate program, while the Arlington Tech expansion could be a complete high school with the career center as a program within that school.
“Tonight we’re hearing that ‘we’re doing exciting things there,’ but as a taxpayer and parent of three young children, that’s not acceptable to me,” said Stalwart. “Abandon the hybrid plan, build a fourth comprehensive neighborhood high school.”
The School Board will vote for a high school seat option at its June 29 meeting.
Potential Programs Under the Hybrid Option for the expanded Education Center and Career Center facilities:
Location: Ed Center; Program Possibility: Early College
Location: Ed Center; Program Possibility: IB program expansion
Location: Career Center; Program Possibility: Early College
Location: Career Center; Program Possibility: Comprehensive High School with Arlington Tech on site